Morning journal and courier., 1887-08-05
sWORDSMEN IN INDIA.
Wonderful SkiII Displayed by the Men of the East With Their Keen Blades.

of the East With Their Keen Blades.
 LFrom the English Mechauic.J
 The high-class damaseened and exquisitely ! tempered blades, the curved cimeters of ex- tra hard steel, and the keen weapons of high \ 1y finished durability came to India with those mighty conquerors of the East, the Mohammedans, whose descendants under the victorious and peace promoting British rule can no longer follow the craft, disarming be- l ing the prevailing regime. The compara- \ lively few sword blades of sterling quality | nowadays are only to be found in the palaces of loyal princes, most of them heirlooms in \ their armories. Before the great mutiny ev- l erv native, even menial servants, carried a sword; the peasant at his plough wore the | weapon of defence; so did the harmless wan f derer in search of employ and the black sol | dier on short leave. It was national appen- \ dage, due to the unsettled state of popular | feelings and lawless inclinations. The exci- \ ted Moslem printed and shouted the great ' text of the false prophet, ''The Sword is the | Key of Heaven and Hsll;" while the quiet | Hindoo frequented midnight meetings and ! brought his teghar, or village sabre, to ra- I zor edge. The quiet dweller in England will I scarcely believe the prodigies performed in
 sword cutting by these coarse, ill-looking bits of curved metal, costing no more than two shillings. The Englishman can excel in everything if he chooses to master the ob- iect Not less than half a dozen, perhaps even dozen, have attained such swordsman- ship with the Oriental weapon as to be knowledged champions, the title of "master of the sword" being bestowed on them by universal consent
 had shot numerous wild beasts when
 was told by an expert that my hunting edu- IaGn T
 dle a cimeter to stop my game. I was told to exercise continually on pillar of soft clay, and thus acquire the drawing out at the proper part of the blade; then on g pill lar loosely stuffed with cotton then on a newly killed wildcat or jackal, kneaded pre- vious to the practice by the feet of a heavy man till the carcass became a loose, soft mass; then on great pond carp, fish clad with heavy, horny scales, like elastic mail, considered an Al feet to test man and sword. My first trial at this experiment. resulted in triple fracture of the good blade, sundry scales flying in the air, uncut, only dislodged; then the artistic tour de force at paper cones placed on table, and muslin thrown up to height-all manner of strange and difficult tasks which, being only ornamental, even tually forsook for the useful and more easy | decapitation of fierce quadrupeds, beginning ! with 8 wounded wild hog of full growth, | and on essaying the sloping stroke behind | the ear, sweeping off the head nearly, that important part dropping between the fore feet. Not long before I had seen bold young Ghoorka princeling dismount from his elephant, leaving it standing to await his return, and follow on foot alone an immense boar he had wounded with his rife. On
 nearing the powerful brute it champed it's foamy tusks to charge. He drew his kookree
 or nepaulse sword, and as it sprang at him
 the blade was buried across piggy's back, all
 but severing him in two parts.
 r1o,,o adaru urzriH x,0f oradit Yluyz ata tn.
 ment of village peasants, with sword and
 shield, attacking and slashing full-grown
 tiger, when one of these powerful animals
 has strayed from the forest into their fields.
 Yet have often known such encounters, a
 man or two always killed and several
 wounded, the tigers skin spoiled too by the
 long, deep cuts of their teghars. I saw a
 champion swordsman, native soldier, who
 went into the rose bushes alone with nc
 other weapon-shield on shoulder. His